Rookie mistakes
OK, from what I am able to glean from this thread, the biggest employee gripes are working through breaks, working through lunch and limited career path. After having spent a career in tech and sales both, also having worked for a large high tech conglomo, and then branching out to start two tech companies on my own over the years, I have some observations.
I realize that the issue of being forced to work through breaks may be illegal in your state, there is another issue here.
The employees are putting themselves between a "rock and a hard place" in regards to attitude and action. Lets address the career path issue vs the break/ lunch issue. In the 'career path' world, the higher you climb up the ladder, the less those above you give a damn about your break times, lunch hours and the times you come and go. That is a fact. The higher you go the less they care. From the lower ranks, you may not see that, because you are conditioned to not question your boss or his boss's comings and goings. But you can be positive that his boss couldn't give 2 cents about making a demand that he work through his lunch hour or stick around on a Friday night, or miss the kid's ballgame to sit in on a meeting on 10 minutes notice. The higher you go, the more it gets.
My point is, that if career path and advancement are what you think you aspire to..., then the idea that your breaktime is sacred is a bit of the "reverse nobility' kool-aid that you'd best break free from as early in your career as possible. Frankly, its a trap to keep you fat, dumb and happy in your entry level job.
Its all about attitude. Trust me, hang on to that tired old 'by the hour' work ethic and see where you are 10 years from now.
OK, from what I am able to glean from this thread, the biggest employee gripes are working through breaks, working through lunch and limited career path. After having spent a career in tech and sales both, also having worked for a large high tech conglomo, and then branching out to start two tech companies on my own over the years, I have some observations.
I realize that the issue of being forced to work through breaks may be illegal in your state, there is another issue here.
The employees are putting themselves between a "rock and a hard place" in regards to attitude and action. Lets address the career path issue vs the break/ lunch issue. In the 'career path' world, the higher you climb up the ladder, the less those above you give a damn about your break times, lunch hours and the times you come and go. That is a fact. The higher you go the less they care. From the lower ranks, you may not see that, because you are conditioned to not question your boss or his boss's comings and goings. But you can be positive that his boss couldn't give 2 cents about making a demand that he work through his lunch hour or stick around on a Friday night, or miss the kid's ballgame to sit in on a meeting on 10 minutes notice. The higher you go, the more it gets.
My point is, that if career path and advancement are what you think you aspire to..., then the idea that your breaktime is sacred is a bit of the "reverse nobility' kool-aid that you'd best break free from as early in your career as possible. Frankly, its a trap to keep you fat, dumb and happy in your entry level job.
Its all about attitude. Trust me, hang on to that tired old 'by the hour' work ethic and see where you are 10 years from now.
